True Colors
by SDMaxwell
Summary: An inside look at how Kurama and Hiei view each other.  Songfic.  Mild shounen ai.


**True Colors**

SDMaxwell----------9/3/02

Author's note: This songfic is written off of a cool song sung by Sarina Paris. ; ::flashes peace signs to everyone:: Yeah! This fic has been written strangely but follows an actual pattern. ::gasps:: Can it be TRUE? Yes. Can anyone else see it? Or is it just all in my head? Hopefully the fic will be okay. Can anyone guess who my favorite characters are?

Kuwabara: Who? Me?

Hiei: Ugh. Moron.

Kurama: That's not nice Hiei . . . after all, he doesn't know any better. It's obvious he can't see that he just doesn't par up beside two bishounen of OUR quality.

SD: Gee, THAT was a mouthful.

Hiei: Hn.

SD: That's better.

Kuwabara: I don't get it . . . What are they talking about?

_**You with the sad eyes**_

_**Don't be discouraged**_

_**Oh, I realize**_

_**It's hard to take courage**_

_**In a world full of people**_

_**You can loose sight of it all**_

_**And the darkness inside you **_

_**Can make you feel so small**_

A pencil dropped onto the scuffed tiled floor with a soft clicking sound.

With a jolt of surprise, Kurama took his eyes off the world outside the window across the classroom, realizing belatedly that the pencil had been his own. A surge of hostility rises up towards the few curious glances that flicker in his direction for the interruption. He grit his teeth together and fought back against the foreign anger. No. Not foreign. The fury was about as foreign to him as Youko Kurama and considering that the anger _came_ from the kitsune side of him, he shouldn't feel detached from it. Unfortunately, how he felt and how he _wanted_ to feel didn't always coincide and this was going to be one of those times.

And the entire time he was wiping away the last traces of his resentment, the teacher hadn't even noticed, still droning on as she was about the strength of the Roman Empire.

Kurama sighed and reached down to pick up his dropped pencil. Green eyes sought the window again. There it was, that longing to be unconfined and running free. How he felt and how he wanted to feel weren't working together. He _needed_ to stay where he was and continue the work he'd fought to stick with for years and yet he _needed_ to throw off the chains that kept him imprisoned in a world he didn't really belong in. Of course, that was where his two halves usually disagreed anyway. The only compromise he could reach between the two was pointing out that his stay in the ningenkai would be short compared to his life as a youko.

The last bell rang as the redhead finally straightened in his seat. With an inward sigh of relief, he collected his things and dodged out into the flood of people in the hall, using the multitudes to hide himself from his usual fan club. At least both youko and human were happy to be away from that boring lecture. They could agree on _that_ at least.

---

Sunlight dappled the ground as Kurama walked home, the throngs of people thinning as he went. It really was a lovely day; one that was wasted spending cooped inside a building crammed full of brain-numbed teenagers. He paused beside a serene park, casting a wistful glance towards the greenery. It would be so nice if he could just lay out in the sunlight and feel the prickle of that luscious grass. It wasn't as if he had other things he needed to do . . . But no. He'd promised 'Kaasan that he'd come straight home after school. There wasn't anything pressing he needed to do, but she'd worry if she didn't know where he was.

_::She doesn't ever know, baka. She just thinks she does.:: _the fox growled in annoyance, still eyeing the park like it was a new plaything.

The human very nearly softened. Nearly. But his other half was too well known for twisting the truth as it was._ ::It doesn't matter. At least if I'm gone, she thinks she knows where I am and she doesn't worry. This time, she knows where I said I'd be and if I'm not there, she'll worry. Her welfare is more important than some whim.::_

Green eyes flashed gold briefly, human and kitsune warring yet again over priorities. After several long silent minutes, Minamino Shuuichi shook his head and continued on home, giving a small wince as Youko Kurama sulked.

_**But I see your true colors**_

_**Shining through**_

About a block away from his house, a black blur hopped down out of a tree to land beside Kurama. Hiei said nothing as he kept pace beside the tall redhead, only offering the halfling kitsune a short nod and a crook at the corner of his lips that could be called a smile.

_**I see your true colors**_

_**And that's why I love you**_

At once, both sides of Kurama settled down, enjoying the company of the little fire demon at their side. Hiei snorted in amusement at the contentment on his lover's face. And it was a true feeling of content that he was witnessing.

_**So don't be afraid to let them show**_

_**Your true colors**_

After knowing the kitsune for years, he had become well acquainted with the many masks Kurama could display before actually showing what he was really feeling. And knowing _that_, it never failed to amaze him that Kurama rarely bothered with such masks whenever _he_ was around.

_**True colors are beautiful **_

_**Like a rainbow**_

No matter how much Hiei made fun of Kurama's sentimentality, he still felt like he was being handed the greatest gift in the world each time it happened. It was something no one else could experience.

_**Show me a smile then**_

_**Don't be unhappy**_

_**Can't remember when**_

_**I last saw you laughing**_

_**If this world makes you crazy**_

_**And you've taken all you can bear**_

_**You call me up **_

_**Because you know I'll be there**_

The noise was driving him up the wall. It was definitely the noise. Within the crowded ningenkai, it was virtually impossible to find any spot of perfect peace and quiet. There was no place to meditate, no place to think, no place to let everything just wash away into tranquility. Places like that couldn't exist in such a world where everyone was in a rush to do _everything._

Hiei readjusted his weight on the branch he sat on and crossed his arms over his chest. When he thought about it, he supposed all the hustle and bustle had to do with how short-lived these humans were. Youkai didn't have to worry about growing old faster than they could live. They worried about bigger, faster, stronger youkai killing them when they didn't expect it. But for a human, life went by fast enough to watch without getting too bored. They were there and gone again and in order to make sure they made a sizable impression on the masses that followed, they probably felt like they had to move faster than life itself.

And if he thought about it, the fire demon could almost understand why his fox found them so interesting.

Of course, that didn't mean _he_ had to be interested. In fact, he was highly annoyed. Every time he came close to finding some place tranquil and solitary, some soul intruded on his space. Even Kurama's house was far from peaceful. True, it was quieter than most but whenever he was there, he was always aware of just why he was in the ningenkai in the first place.

There were two reasons for that with the halfling kitsune being the most obvious. But Kurama was there because Shiori was there and as long as Shiori was there, Kurama would be there to take care of her and hence, Hiei would be there. He _could_ just go back to the Makai and find his peace there, but it just didn't feel right any more to simply leave behind the one thing that cared enough to want him around.

He knew he was a bastard much of the time. That was just who he was and he didn't really feel inclined to change in any drastic degrees. Maybe it kept people on their toes-which they probably needed anyway-or maybe it pushed everyone away from him-that bugged him a little, but he wouldn't ever admit it-or maybe he just _wanted_ to keep people out-it certainly wouldn't help to have everyone invading his personal space all the time like they did to the others. Well, whatever it was that made him like he was-he was beginning to think it was a headache to think about-it didn't matter. It was enough that one person could stand his attitude no matter what happened and no matter what time it was.

The little fire demon nearly fell right out of his tree when a group of children playing tag charged into his territory, startling him out his deep thoughts and making him jump a bit.

He snarled silently and decided to let the short-lived humans experience their quick lives in their own form of peace by vacating the area. In an instant, he was gone.

_**And I see your true colors **_

_**Shining through**_

Kurama looked up expectantly at a warm rush of air from his open window, smiling when he saw Hiei standing in the middle of his bed. It looked like the little jaganshi was frustrated again with the humans.

_**I see your true colors **_

_**And that's why I love you**_

Over the years, the kitsune had grown accustomed to providing his little lover with a bit of sanctuary, whether from the Makai and its youkai or the ningenkai and its humans. He could always tell which it was as well since Hiei usually appeared in his room bruised, battered, or severely ki deprived if he was having problems in the Makai.

_**So don't be afraid to let them show**_

_**Your true colors**_

The moody fire demon was perfectly fine, if a little miffed so it had to be humans again. It always delighted Kurama that the koorime could trust him enough to come to him every time he wanted help. Few others could even get Hiei to admit he needed help, much less get him to accept any.

_**True colors are beautiful**_

_**Like a rainbow**_

No matter how much Kurama made passes at Hiei's stony demeanor, he still felt like he was being handed the greatest gift in the world each time the fire demon came to him. It was something no one else could experience.

---

Owari

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I don't even own the song that I used. Other people do. On the other hand, I'm honored to be able to use them for entertainment purposes since they're all so great. ;

SD::scratches her head and peers at the fic she's just written:: Alright. . . another story that's as obscure as poetry. Bleh. Not what I meant to come out.

Kurama: It . . . _is_ just like poetry.

Duo: Are you sure you don't want to become a psychiatrist, SD?

SD: No. I'm sure.

Kurama: He has a point. Almost every one of your fics deals with the mind. Why is that?

Hiei: Ch. Isn't it obvious?

Kurama and Duo::blink::

Hiei: She's making a silent call for help. _She_ needs therapy.

SD::sweatdrops:: Eh. . .

Duo and Kurama::stare at SD::

Duo: No . . . _He's_ got a point.

Kurama: Perhaps.

SD::triple sweatdrops:: Eh-heh.

Hiei:


End file.
